# Melodramatic Memes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2013, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-memes/656745 "2013-04-26T07:38:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hipdadiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hipdadiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hipdadiddy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-memes/656745/1 "2013-04-26T07:38:03Z")
Relishing Snidely Whiplash’s villainy in an old Rocky & Bullwinkle episode the other night, it struck me how deeply a couple of memes dating back to the days of 19th century melodrama have burrowed into the Collective Mind. But are they based in reality? Well…_theatrical_ reality, that is? So, is there anyone out there familiar enough with the theatrical era in question to tell me if there was ever an actual drama/melodrama (meant seriously by its author, not as a parody, etc.) featuring a girl being tied either to railroad tracks or to a big plank being fed into an enormous circular saw? ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-memes/656745/2 "2013-04-26T08:37:00Z")
[The TV Tropes Page](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChainedToARailway) for Chained to a Railway has a decent overview of the history. In short, yes, it had been used seriously at least a few times. ETA: And that page links to a column by… Gfactor. Eh, not Unca Cecil, but he’ll do. > **[Did anyone really ever get tied to railroad tracks?](https://www.straightdope.com/21343402/did-anyone-really-ever-get-tied-to-railroad-tracks)** > > A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD ---
**Author:** ![hipdadiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hipdadiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hipdadiddy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-memes/656745/3 "2013-04-26T13:11:31Z")
Thanks, and…yipe!! SIX people were actually killed that way?! Please tell me at least nobody was ever murdered by being fed into an enormous rotary saw…?? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melodramatic-memes/656745/4 "2013-04-27T04:25:10Z")
Well, there was that guy, Bill Grogan, who [tied his goat to the railroad tracks](http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/bill-grogans-goat.html).